William James Bell

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Mon, 24/04/2017 - 10:32

First Name:

William

Middle Name:

James

Last Name:

Bell

Date of Birth:

Saturday, November 28, 1874

Mother's Name:

Mary Bell nee Walker

Father's Name:

Andrew Bell

Date Enlisted:

Monday, January 11, 1915

Rank at Enlistment:

Farrier Sergeant

Rank at Discharge:

Sergeant

Unit:

12th Australian Light Horse Regiment

Company:

C Squadron

Service:

Cavalry

Awards:

1914/1915 Star

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Tuesday, June 10, 1919

Details:

William James Bell (Service No 455), was born in Dapto, N.S.W.

On 31st December 1910, he married Elizabeth Harper, in Sydney, N.S.W., and they had one child.

At enlistment, he was 39 years old, worked as a farrier and had served 12 years with the Scottish Rifles and the Australian Commonwealth Horse, in South Africa.

William embarked on HMAT A29 Suevic, with 12th Australian Light Horse Regiment, C Squadron, on 13th June 1915, as a Farrier Sergeant.

On 2nd October 1915, he was sent from Egypt to Gallipoli, Turkey, and served there until 11th December 1915, when he was admitted to hospital with dysentery. William served in Egypt and the Middle East, but suffered with frequent bouts of dysentery, and because of this, he was repatriated to Australia, in January 1917. He was a patient at Randwick Hospital in February 1917, and discharged medically unfit with enteric and debility, with a pension on 21st June 1917.

William died in 1919, and is buried in Rookwood Cemetry, Rookwood, N.S.W.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, BELL W J